before lunch drinks. a water, the staple of my diet, and a screwdriver. the screwdriver was originally supposed to be a mimosa, but i didn't want to buy an entire bottle of champagne. luckily for me, the screwdriver was still a good way to go. the orange juice was fresh squeezed and thick, masking the taste of the vodka. it contained pulp which was a very exciting and welcome surprised. i should have guessed by the velvety smooth feeling the juice created running down my throat that this would be an extravagant meal.
starter. a quiche. the trout inn describes it as "red onion tart, jersey blue cheese, watercress and roasted vine tomatoes." when the tart came out, it was hidden underneath a thick bed of watercress, and drizzled lines of balsamic dressing connecting the tart with the tomatoes whilst decorating the plate. the crust of the tart watered in my mouth, while the blue cheese gave the interior of the tart a creamer filling and more noticeable flavor than any quiche i had before. the red onions were thinly sliced and very sweet in taste. when taking a bite of quiche with the watercress, it provides the mouth with a taste of bitter mixed with sweet and tart and creamy. it was definitely an enjoyable experience. i also had the privilege of trying two other starters since we are a very sharing group. the scallops cleo and dr. collins got were almost more tender than can be found back home. they were hardly seasoned allowing the scallops to do most of the work for providing flavor. i also tried carly's pita bread and assorted dressing sampler. there were creamed cheeses, hummus, and blocks of feta for topping the pita slices with. out of the three, i enjoyed mine the most, and it proved to be a nice segue into my meal.
main course. spit ham. again, the trout inn had a much more elegant name for it. their menu says it is "spit honey gammon ham, creamed potato, parsley and truffle sauce." the portion was so large i brought the other half home and ate it for dinner. the flavors were again incredible. the ham sat upon the creamed, rather, mashed potatoes, and both were then topped with a generous amount of the truffle sauce. the truffle sauce was very salty in taste and complicated the roasted ham and the potatoes. it was the first time i have eaten meat on the trip, and it was quite the welcome change.
dessert. sticky toffee pudding and vanilla ice cream. i had no idea what to expect, but carly told me it was the one thing that her friend grace misses most from her stay in england, so i figured i had to try it if it was that unforgettable. it wasn't what i had expected it to be though. when one says pudding i think of anything from jello pudding to traditional bread putting, but what was placed in front of me appeared to be a brownie with a small scoop of ice cream on the side. this was all sitting in a pool of caramel, my favorite topping known to man. it was a very heavy dessert, but i soon saw why grace couldn't forget it. the combination of the cold ice cream, warm caramel, and room temperature brownie like object melted in my mouth. the flavor had hints of vanilla, but caramel was the overpowering element. the caramel even oozed out of the porous areas of the pudding. i couldn't eat all of it, so i gave the rest to carly. she too laughed and said she understood grace's obsession completely now.
after lunch drinks. a chocolate martini. topped with graham cracker crumbs. fantastic. all of the explanation required.
after this, we all caught cabs back to the flat, and we relaxed for the rest of the evening. we did make one excursion into town though, and i made my last two purchases on my list for oxford. i bought the classical music recommended to me that first day by the tutor from oxford university, and i made it to the alice store and bought my ornament for oxford. allow me to clarify. the oxford alice store is literally the alice in wonderland official store. it was the store used in lewis carroll's book because the college where he studied and taught at, christ church, is across the street from it. he wrote the story for the dean of students' daughter, alice, placing her as the main character, and also putting landmarks around oxford into the book. the store was once a grocery where alice and her family shopped, but after the publication of the books, it then became a tribute to the oxford fantasy. my entire day consisted of eating, drinking, and enjoying life. now, i am able to relax and prepare for the big excursion that awaits us tomorrow. the city of paris.
the quaint trout inn.
our view from the table.
our friend the duck. she enjoyed walking up and down the stone wall to visit our table and others in hopes of food.
the peacock. one of four who reside at the trout inn.
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